Aaron Judge slump coincides with Yankees' recent misery

The New York Yankees have struggled over the past seven games.

The Yankees have lost five games in a row, having scored just 11 runs since June 11. That streak includes a surprisingly putrid performance over the past three games as the Yankees have been shut out for 29 consecutive innings. It was the first time since 2016 that the Yankees have been shut out for three games in a row.

While outfielder Aaron Judge may be in the midst of a historic season, his bat has been ice cold during the Yankees' struggles. He has just three hits in his 27 plate appearances, with two of those hits coming as solo home runs. Judge has drawn three walks — two intentional — while striking out 15 times and leaving nine men on base.

Judge has performed well overall in Yankees losses, posting a .331/.403/.635 batting line in his 132 plate appearances, hitting 11 homers and five doubles. While those numbers are impressive, they do not compare to how Judge has performed when the Yankees win. He has an incredible .404/.516/.808 batting line over 188 plate appearances, belting 15 homers and 12 doubles. 

The problem is that the Yankees' entire lineup has gone ice cold of late. Judge, the runaway AL MVP favorite, has slumped at the same time. Although it is unfair to expect Judge to continue to carry the Yankees lineup on his own, he transforms the lineup when he is right. 

Judge will eventually break out of his slump. When he does, the Yankees lineup will likely follow suit.